Pranit More was allegedly assaulted after his 2 February show at 24K Kraft Brewzz in Solapur, the comedian revealed in an Instagram post this evening. More, who was performing his Marathi-language show Bhumi Putra, was physically assaulted and threatened by 11-12 men after his show, he said.

The comedian has amassed a significant online following on the back of his crowd work videos and viral Instagram clips. He’s known to stick around at the venue after shows to meet fans. It was during one such meet-and-greet that the men approached him as fans and “punched and kicked him repeatedly”.

In the post, More alleged that Tanveer Shaikh and his gang were the perpetrators of this attack. Their motive was to silence the comedian for making jokes about Bollywood debutant Veer Pahariya, More wrote. “Agli baar Veer baba ke baare mein joke maar ke dikha,” one of the assailants allegedly told More. Pahariya made his debut in January with the Akshay Kumar-starrer Sky Force.

More also alleges that the venue is refusing to share CCTV footage that holds “crucial evidence” and lack of police action. He has lodged an online complaint from Mumbai.

“We are sharing this because people need to know the reality,” read the post. “Maharashtra is his home, and we refuse to believe that we have reached a point where violence and suppression have replaced dialogue and humour.”